You can’t be everything to everybody!  You have to get crystal clear on WHO you can best service and provide solutions for.

Entrepreneurs are hitting a brick wall because they believe deep in their soul they know WHO needs their services and WHAT those services should be.  BIG MISTAKE!

Nine times out of ten business owners are way off the mark as to who their target market really is.  This often happens because few people ever take the time to do market research and learn about their ideal client.  They don’t know what income bracket they are in, they don’t know their habits and they never bother to find out what they WANT.

There are a few ways you can accomplish this.  Survey your past clients and customers and of course people who are on your list.  ASK them what they want, but never ever assume you know what they need.  It’s really your job to listen and then provide them with what they want.

Also, stop trying to please everyone.  Not everyone will be able to afford your products or services and that is ok.  It doesn’t mean you should lower or alter them for every person who asks you to.  It means they are not your target market.

There are plenty of things that I can’t afford, I don’t expect the business owner to change their rates for me, I simply find something that I CAN afford.

Too many women are lowering their rates and short-changing themselves trying to please a person who is not their ideal client.  And that leaves you frustrated and giving away your expertise for way less than you should.  That is NOT a good feeling, now is it?

The truth of the matter is most people are not charging enough for what they do in fear of scaring people away.

I can bet you right now that you are probably not charging what you should be and that you are getting increasingly ticked off about it.

Always remember this…Nobody will respect or value your services if you don’t respect and value them yourself!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

Financial Independence Day for women is going down July 6-8^th in Washington, DC! Women in business and those aspiring are coming together for 3 jammed packed days of learning the secrets to Business, Beauty & Balance as well as hearing from many successful experts and speakers!!

Will YOU be there?

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

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When is the last time you did something different? I’m asking because the “head job” we are able to do on ourselves is a vicious one! I know because I have to outsmart my own self sometimes when I get into a rut!

Here is how it normally works. You have a goal or something specific you want to achieve in life or business.  And you are sincerely passionate about it.  You dream about it, and sometimes you can’t even sleep at night thinking about it.

But when it comes to doing what needs to be done to actually make it a REALITY…you try to find short cuts. Or you engage in busy work to fool yourself into thinking you are moving towards your goal.  But deep down inside you know you are just going through the motions. But you convince yourself that at least you are doing SOMETHING!  After-all, isn’t something better than NOTHING? (NOT)

Let’s take your business for example.  In order to be a successful entrepreneur, there are specific things that must be learned. But most people will avoid those things because they think it is too much work. Or maybe it takes them out of their comfort zone and scares them. Or maybe they just don’t want to put in the effort.

When you allow that self-imposed head game to work on you, everything suffers.  You look up and months and years have gone by where you still have not progressed. You are not moving towards your goals at all, and any progress you make is at a snail’s pace.

You see other people who do what you do moving by leap and bounds but you can’t figure out why.  Well I know why!  It’s because they HAVE decided to do the things that you won’t do.  They have decided to follow a successful blueprint and they are sick and tired of doing that busy work.

They realize in order to get results, they must be willing to do the things that yield results. No more mind games, no more motivational talk and no more B.S.   Just the decision to get the skills they need to make it possible.

So if you are not doing anything different, or you are engaging in busy work to convince yourself you are progressing, then I hope you will reflect on this and say “NO MORE.”

Remember, to be extraordinary, you have to do extraordinary things. Otherwise you are just blending in with the crowd and who wants to do that?

To meet extraordinary people who are taking real action, I hope you join us at the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event! A room full of people on their way to the top! Gotta love that!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

People are LOVING my Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event CD with Stedman Graham and I am so happy for the amazing feedback!  If you have an inkling of interest at all in attending this amazing event for serious women in business, then make sure you request our complimentary CD that I am mailing out first class mail!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE CD

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OK! Time To RAISE Them!

I hear entrepreneurs complain all the time that they KNOW they are not charging enough for their products and/or services but they are scared if they raise them, nobody will work with him.

I get it.  This is one of those tough hurdles in business that it is hard to get over.  The fear of scaring people away.  The justification that some money is better than no money at all….even when it’s not worth your time and it is devaluing your expertise.

Sound familiar? Of course it does!! How do I know? Because it’s one of the hardest things for me to get my clients to do.

Here’s the deal. You have a gift or talent. You have invested in your craft and you KNOW your stuff works.  You solve problems for people. You care about what you do and you put time and thought into it.  So why in the world would you practically give it away?

Come with me on a mind-shift real quick.  Here is an analogy that I LOVE to use…

You have been going to the same hair stylist for years and you simply love him or her.  They care for your hair, they know how to cut it just right and they always leave you looking FIERCE.  So one day they tell you that they are going up on their prices because they haven’t done so in years and it is time.  What do you do?

Do you get upset and decide to go elsewhere and gamble on someone new? Or do you begin paying the new price?  9 out of 10 people will stick with their beloved stylist and pay the new rate! See, they raised their prices and YOU didn’t go anywhere, now did you?

Of course not!  Here is why…they do an amazing job, they have established a relationship and connection with you, most likely serving as a therapist to all your problems too, and the thought of someone new playing in your hair and messing it up makes you cringe, right?

So your stylist has established their value in your life and it has become a “Must have” for you.

Well why can’t you think of your OWN products and services the same way? Don’t you too provide value? Don’t you too have a connection with your clients? Have you too become a MUST HAVE in their lives?

If so, I want you to begin charging what you are truly worth! You never want to be the cheapest in town, people don’t want cheap they actually want value!

So if you know you are short-changing yourself, I challenge you to make a change today. Charge what you are worth and target the people who can afford your services!

An immediate increase in price is immediate new revenue!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

My Extreme Women Entrepreneur’s Event CD has starting hitting people’s homes already! The CD was designed to give those interested in the event, a great overview of what they can expect over the course of the 3 days, as well as a peep into the mindset of Oprah’s boyfriend, Stedman Graham and his viewpoint on entrepreneurship.  Stedman Joins me on the call!

So if you are interested in the event, and you haven’t yet requested the F*R*E*E* CD with Stedman and myself, you can do so here and we will ship it out to you first class mail:

www.EweEvent.com/Stedman

Are you afraid to email your list or following?  Your fear could once again be harming you in a MAJOR way.

Just about every business today is doing some form of email marketing to their list.  That is because it is a great way to keep your followers engaged and up to date on what you have going on.

But what I am finding is that many entrepreneurs are afraid to send emails to their list.  They seem to be leery of making them upset or “bothering” them.  Well here is my viewpoint on that….

If you are working from a legit email list where people VOLUNTARILY sign up to join with you, it usually means one thing.  They have an interest in what you do and want to see if you could be a possible solution to their problems.

If you are giving out great content and providing value, then your followers will be happy to hear from you often because they see the benefit.

I have friends who email their lists every single day, some twice a day and their followers love it.

The bottom line is this.  If someone is interested, they will stay on your list and eventually invest in your products and services.  If someone is NOT interested they will opt out of your list and leave and there is nothing wrong with that.

You only want targeted, qualified followers on your list anyway.  It’s not about the QUANTITY but rather about the QUALITY of your list.

A person with a 10,000 person list full of unqualified people who aren’t their target market is defeating the purpose.  But a person with a 300 person list full of loyal qualified followers who are indeed their target market is in a MUCH better position than the other and will make more money.

So couple of things here.  One, don’t be afraid to email your list, if someone opts out or sends you nasty message, who cares! (I get them all the time, LOL) They are not your target market anyway, you are only here to serve those who love what you do.  And second, while you should indeed focus on growing your list, you should also focus on making sure you are attracting YOUR exact target market so that your services fit their wants and needs!

Now go email your list today!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

P.S. My course FeMail Marketing Secrets is a GREAT resource for amping up your email marketing game and showing you how to profit!  Check it out here:

www.FeMailMarketingSecrets.com

I’m mailing out the Extreme Women Entrepreneur Event CD’s next week, if you want to hear my interview with Oprah’s boyfriend Stedman Graham and learn ALL about the event this year, make sure you go here and enter your info so we can send it to you first class mail, absolutely FREE!

CLICK TO ENTER INFO FOR EVENT CD

I have been going a bit bonkers lately! My husband is in Vegas filming the UFC reality show on FX TV. Translation, I am picking up the slack with him gone and he is pretty much gone for a couple of months.  I’m happy he is on national TV living out his dreams every Friday night, but I do have my moments when I want to fly down there and drag him back on a plane! LOL

But I am going to be a team player because my time to go and film for TV will be coming soon and I am going to need the same reciprocity! I know how to play the game, trust me!

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Can You Put A Check On This Checklist?

Do you watch Tabatha’s Salon Take Over? Great show, where Tabatha goes into fledgling hair salons and tries to save their businesses!

Her first course of action is to observe and make an assessment of just where the problem resides. Normally it’s poor customer service, lack of effective management, and most importantly, A LACK OF EFFECTIVE MARKETING!  Like I always say, you can open up whatever business you want, but if you can’t bring in the clients and customers, it won’t last too long!

Do you ever notice that you will see a new business go up, but walk back by in about 6 months and see a “going out of business” sign? Same issue.  People are under the false assumption that getting a store front, a business license and a website are all you need and that customers will come flocking to you.  Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple!

The same concept applies for an on-line business regardless if you are a coach, consultant, speaker or trainer.

No matter how much you try to avoid it, client attraction is king in truly profiting in your business!

I put together a basic checklist to help you determine if you are on the right path, or if you may be heading for that dreaded “going out of business” sign yourself!

1. Do you have a website that captures email?
2. Is traffic being driven to your website?
3. Do you create new products for your business frequently?
4. Do you have a structure in place to move people into higher levels of working with you?
5. Do you have a loyal following of prospects that you consistently communicate with and provide value to?
6. Do people meet you and say, “hey, I have heard of you before?” (brand recognition)
7. Do you create “buzz” around everything you do?
8. Are you confusing people by changing your brand as often as you change your socks?
9. Do people often ask you what it is exactly you do because they are confused?
10. Are you consistent in all you do or do you work in SPURTS?

Ideally you want all of these things in place, but we all have areas we need to work on. The key is to jump in the game and realize you must run your business on a system and stop treating it like a hobby.

Your challenge is to take inventory of which of these areas you need to bring up to par, and most importantly, actually take action to correct them.  Knowing is half the battle, but DOING is where the money is made!

You don’t have to try and do these things alone either, you can come hang out with me, Stedman Graham and ALL my other speakers at the Extreme Women Entrepreneur’s Event in July!

CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

Lately, I have seen some of the most positive, uplifting people I know have some amazing things happen to them in both life and business! Every time I hear of their good news I get so happy, but I am also not surprised at their blessings!

I am often asked what the keys to success are, and although I don’t have or know the perfect formula, I do know common traits, patterns, rituals and habits of successful people that remain fairly constant.

One such trait and success principle is the decision to live one’s life in a positive mode. Being positive or negative is a decision that a person makes every single day.  I don’t care what has happened, how horrible of an experience one may have gone through, at the end of the day you have a choice. A choice to move forward in a better space, or a choice to let the negative person on your shoulder win.

We all know stories of people who have lost limbs in war, been born with abnormalities that put them at a disadvantage, or people who have died and lost their life to cancer.  And every last one of them remained a positive person throughout their entire ordeal.  Inspiring and giving motivation to others.

These people had a choice too and many would say, a real reason to be negative.  But they decided to go the other way.  Quite admirable!

My observations though working with clients over the years is that so much talent is lost and so much potential never realized due to the negativity winning over!  And I find that a true shame.

Some people who are surrounded by negativity and raised by negative people have a REALLY hard time breaking the cycle. They have bigger dreams for themselves and some even go for it, but their progress is halted or stalled because they can’t shake the old habits.

Habits are hard to break, I know. But if you truly want something greater for yourself and your business, I challenge you to take inventory of the people you associate with. Do you hang out with people who gossip? Do you hang out with people who are petty in their conversation? People who look to create drama?

Because if you do hang with people like that, nine times out of ten, you are participating in the same negative behavior, the laws of attraction are powerful.

So do yourself a favor if this email has hit a nerve with you. Make the decision to move your circle to one of positivity.  Whenever you feel yourself getting ready to create drama, tear someone else down or spend your time complaining…I want you to STOP!

Brush the negative person off your shoulder and start over. They say it takes 21 days to break a habit.  Imagine the blessings that will open up for yourself, your business and your life! And you deserve that.

Many people have successfully broken this cycle and they will tell you that living positive is a much better life!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

Let me get right to the point! “Consistently inconsistent” is NOT a great place to be in your business, but an EASY place to find yourself stuck if you don’t do something about it!

If you are one of the women out there with a GREAT business OR business idea and a passion for helping others through your expertise, then ask yourself these questions…

1. Am I REALLY doing all I can to reach my market and spread my message? Or am I playing it safe, too paralyzed by fear to move forward?
2. Am I frustrated every day because I can’t seem to acquire new clients and customers?
3. Do I see other people doing what I do and making a lot of money doing it, but I can’t seem to do the same? What do they have over me?
4. Am I too bogged down with LIFE and can never seem to give my business the time and attention it needs to grow….plain old burnt out?
5. Are people constantly trying to barter services with me and asking me to lower my rates?
6. Do people always tell me they LOVE my stuff, but they never actually buy?
7. Am I devaluing my own services and worth?
8. Am I stuck in the same place year after year with little to no growth at all?
9. Every year I say it’s going to be my year, but nothing is happening, why?
10. I start off full force but always seem to lose steam, why?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then…

CLICK FOR A POSSIBLE SOLUTION HERE

Don’t Get Blinded By The Bling!

Feeling sick lately? Perhaps you have been plagued by the shiny new thing syndrome running rampant!  The Shiny new syndrome disease is when you hop from thing to thing, idea to idea, and event to event moving fast, but with no real direction.

People with this syndrome love to invest in themselves, attend events and sign up for courses which is the GREAT part. But the problem is that they never really get around to actually implementing in their business.  Not only that, but they overwhelm themselves with information while each idea gets grander than the next until they are seeing stars!

Doing this is sure to keep you stuck for a few reasons:

• One because you never sit down and implement the basics in your business.  The basics represent the core foundation we all need to get a business structure in place that is going to work for us consistently.
• Second, this syndrome keeps you in a whirl wind where you are constantly changing your business name, mission and branding which is keeping your audience confused and quite frankly causing them to lose trust in you. When they see you doing this, they assume you are still “finding yourself” and no longer feel confident you can help them because you yourself do not appear to be established or decisive.
• Thirdly, this vicious cycle will eventually wear you down, eating away at your motivation and drive until you are frustrated to the point of giving up.

Enough about the devastating effects of this entrepreneurial and business disease, let’s find a solution and move forward…

#1- you are doing what most people will never do and that is investing in your most important asset…YOU! Attending great events like the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event is one of the best things you can do for your business. Events like this that are content rich will provide you with a multitude of golden nuggets, but it’s your job to take at least one or two big ideas and put them into play immediately.

#2- Make the commitment to yourself to not get caught up in all the hype in business, most of it just a bunch of distracting junk. You must stick to the core things that the most successful people are doing, the people with a proven track record.  You will notice that I don’t deviate much from my core teachings, I stick with what works and don’t allow all the “popular” unproven fads and internet crazes to infiltrate my own business or what I give to my peeps.

#3- Ask yourself if you are floundering because you are avoiding the implementation phase of your business.  I know that implementation is one of the biggest roadblocks for people in business and what happens is that you end up avoiding it by jumping from thing to thing. You keep yourself busy doing “busy work” but when you look up, not much is being accomplished and the money you deserve to be making is not being made.

#4- There is no way you can hear and absorb every single thing you get from an information packed event like the ones I put on. So instead focus on what really resonates with you at that point in time and go back and implement it with speed.  The next time you attend my event you will hear yet another big idea you missed before, and it’s your job to go back and implement that too. You continue to do this over and over and before you know it, you will have accomplished more in 12 months than you have in the last 12 years!

#5 Stop waiting for everything to perfect! There is no such thing as perfection, it’s a notion that will prevent you from moving forward. Nobody cares about how many certifications you have or how many Masters degrees you’ve acquired, they only want to know that you can provide a solution to their problem. Always remember that an imperfect action is better than no action at all!

Motivation is derived from implementation, each time you take action and get a result, you will be pumped up to do it over and over again. So don’t get blinded by the bling, stick to the basics and add in new useful things along the way!

Don’t miss my Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event Preview Call happening this Wednesday the 15^th at 8pm EST. On this call I will be revealing what we plan to do over the course of 3 jammed packed days full of TOP speakers and ultra-successful people willing to share their success secrets with YOU.

Yes, the event is not until July, but getting a head start will provide you with opportunities to come that waiting later on will not, and there is nothing worse than missing the boat and regretting it later.

So join me and find out how YOU can meet and hang out with Oprah’s SPECIAL friend:

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

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My heart is heavy with the passing of the great Whitney Houston. It seems too many icons and people in the public eye have lives that end so tragically and way too early.

People often think money is the answer and key to all problems.  While money certainly helps alleviate many problems in life, at the end of the day we all as humans want the same thing…Love.  We want to have healthy and happy relationships with friends and family and we want to make a mark on the world and help other people.

Unfortunately too many people go through the motions of life “pretending” to be happy when they are not. Perhaps because they are not living the life they feel they were meant to live. Perhaps because they do not feel appreciated by others and taken for granted.

Whatever the reason, part of my mission in life is to help entrepreneurs realize the business of their dreams. So many turn to entrepreneurship because they feel they were called to do something bigger in life. I remember when I was working my 9-5, I had that burning desire every day. I found myself going through the motions every day and not feeling very fulfilled.  While I was certainly grateful to have a job, I thought my life could be better served doing something else.

Do you feel that way?  If so, what is holding you back from pursuing your REAL life purpose? Is it fear? Do you lack the self-confidence to step out there? Or is it because you just don’t know what to do or how to get started? Perhaps you have already started but what you are doing is not working.

Well welcome to world of entrepreneurship where things rarely go as planned and self-doubt is always creeping in. Where things don’t always go smoothly and sometimes you are scared.

Entrepreneurs don’t play it safe, they step out of their comfort zones and take risks. They go the extra mile and do things other people won’t do. They cherish self-investment and understand that they are their biggest asset and if they don’t invest in themselves, nobody will invest in them.

Entrepreneurs make the decision to live an extraordinary life and get their messages out to the world in a really BIG way.

The way we conquer the fear and self-doubt is to band together with each other and stay in the company of like-minded people because we need the motivation. Self-motivation is hard to maintain on its own, we need inspiration from others to keep the momentum going.

So if you are stuck in limbo dreaming of a bigger and better life for yourself and your family, I hope you too will make the decision to stop playing it safe and rise to the calling of your true life purpose.  We all have one.

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

P.S. If you missed the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event, this could be YOUR year to shine and we would LOVE to have you!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

Have you signed up yet to join my Preview Call on the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event this year? I am going to be sharing information on 3 jammed packed days of Business, Beauty & Balance with guest speakers that are SURE to change your life and business.

While you may THINK it’s too early to begin thinking about an event in July, the fact of the matter is you WANT to get a huge head start and take advantage of the benefits of being a fast action taker!

Remember, Oprah’s special friend will be at the event this year and I want to tell you ALL about it! Join me on Wednesday, February 15^th at 8pm EST!

CLICK TO REGISTER HERE

I’m on my way to San Antonio, Texas today, I have the honor of speaking and opening up the GKIC Business Makeover Event for Women! This event will be filled with women entrepreneurs looking to learn from some of the sharpest women out there…women who have built multi-million dollar businesses by mastering business systems and marketing.  I am going to share my philosophies on living a Superwoman Lifestyle and how self-investment is the secret weapon to success. I am so pumped up!

Have you thought about being a speaker before? It’s amazing how many women I work with who are coaches or consultants, but have a burning desire to get on stage and speak too. And you know what I say to that? AWESOME!

If you have an expertise and message that others could benefit from, by all means, you too should become a speaker. With so many people having events, the need for good qualified speakers is in high demand.

As an entrepreneur you should always be looking for other ways to profit from your core business.  Sure, I could just be a coach, but why would I want to do that? I can also get on other people’s stages and deliver great content to their audience while being paid to do so.  In turn that also helps to grow my own list or following because most of the people you speak in front of will end up joining up and connecting with you to learn even more.

Speaking is one of the BEST ways to get your message out to the world while allowing people an amazing chance to get to know all about you.  Connection is key and the single best place to connect is live and in person. Nothing tops that.

Please don’t allow fear of speaking to prevent you from pursuing your message either! I know that speaking is one of the most feared things in the world for people, but when you work with someone to develop a great signature “talk” that you know is going to rock the house, your confidence level will go up!

So….do YOU think you have what it takes to be a good speaker? Send me an email and let me know if this is something you have always wanted to do, but you just don’t know how to get started!

Don’t forget to register for my event Preview Call and find out how YOU can meet Oprah’s special friend!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki